[Photo: Mike Ehrmann]
Daniel Berger held the lead through 71 holes but needed a 14-footer for par at the last to force a playoff at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the first overtime in the event since 1999.
That was just fine with Akshay Bhatia, who moved his playoff record to 3-0 by downing Berger on the first extra hole when Berger three-putted from more than 100 feet on Bay Hill’s 18th green.
Bhatia’s putting with his Odyssey Jailbird 380 broomstick was otherworldly. He ranked first in strokes gained putting (besting the field average by more than 10 strokes), first in putts per green in regulation, and first in feet of putts made, averaging 109 feet per round.
Those stats were aided by a 57-foot birdie bomb on 11 that Bhatia called “a huge bonus.”
He also was wizard-like around the greens, too, ranking seventh in scrambling and second in sand saves, converting 11 of 13 tries with his Callaway Opus SP wedges.
When you miss so many greens over 72 holes, your iron game is typically not the difference. However, Bhatia doesn’t make it to extra holes without a 6-iron from 190 yards on the par-5 16th to a few feet for eagle. The shot, which he called “one of the best 6-irons of my life”, was struck with a Callaway Apex TCB 6-iron with a KBS $-Taper 125 S+ shaft.
What Akshay Bhatia had in the bag at the 2026 AT&T Arnold Palmer Invitational
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Driver: Callaway Rogue ST (Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X), 9 degrees
5-wood: Callaway Apex UW, 19 degrees
Irons (3): Callaway X Forged UT; (5-PW): Callaway Apex TCB
Wedges: Callaway Opus SP (50, 54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey Jailbird 380 Long
